The Nude Nutritionist: Stop Obsessing About Food and Never Diet Again

by Lyndi Cohen

Typically women spend 17 years of their lives dieting, leading to obsessing over food, binge eating and food guilt when we fail to meet our weight goals. So if you: eat healthily all week but over-eat at the weekend, sometimes find it hard to stop eating (and then go to bed feeling guilty), lose weight but always end up regaining it, feel in control in every other part of your life, except food, then Lyndi Cohen’s The Nude Nutritionist: Stop Obsessing About Food and Never Diet Again is the book for you.

Lyndi Cohen used to be a compulsive yo-yo dieter and emotional eater herself and struggled with clinical anxiety for years. When Lyndi stopped dieting and healed her relationship with food, she lost 20kg in the process. Today, Lyndi is a breath of fresh air on social media giving a ‘nude’ view of what life is truly like rather than the perfect Instagram shot. Her reality vs posed photographs always receive an overwhelming response from girls and women who are fed up of fake photographs that only promote negative body image and a bad relationship with food in the process.

The Nude Nutritionist adopts Lyndi’s refreshing approach to food and body image to teach you how to stop struggling with your weight and eat intuitively. Lyndi strips back complicated nutrition advice to teach you how to live healthily without constantly thinking about food. With over 50 easy recipes, you'll be inspired to eat well to boost your mood and balance your hormones, so that you'll feel lighter and more energetic every day. Lyndi’s delicious recipes cover breakfast (post-bender booster green juice and Sunday morning eggs), Main Meals (maple soy sriracha one-tray salmon and veggie-full beef Bolognese), Salads, veggies, dips and sauces (baked pumpkin with feta and garlicky Parmesan mushrooms), and Desserts (chocolate banana bread and salted peanut butter chocolate ‘brownies’).

So if you want to put yourself on the path to healthier relationship with food, pick up a copy of The Nude Nutritionist and let’s get started.

Genres: Cooking, Cookbooks, Health

232 pages, Paperback

Published August 20, 2019

Reviews

[Vona Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Lyndi Cohen's Instagram posts, so I thought I'd check out her book. It's kind of expensive for what it is, and it has a lot of graphics that were difficult to read on a Paperwhite, but I think it is full of some seriously needed, good, non-fad, non-ridiculous advice.

[Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Fuck diet culture. Fuck hating yourself. Love yourself enough to put good shit into your body, and to listen to it.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Purchased this expecting it to be something like 75% recipes and only like 25% educational material. Turns out it’s the other way around(ok, maybe more like 40% recipes and 60% educational materials), but I am in NO way disappointed.

The first part of the book breaks down concepts behind mindful eating, (anti-)diet culture, body image, repairing our relationships with food... essentially everything related to nourishing our mind, body, and soul. Not only is it educational, it contains many “calls to action” and practical advice so anyone reading this can start NOW when it comes to improving their lives. Many of these mindful eating/anti-diet type books I’ve read goes over these concepts but doesn’t actually give much practical advice. Lyndi did a great job on that front.

The book itself is gorgeous. Colourful photos, easy to read texts, engaging layouts, text bubbles, case studies... it was a delight to read.

I haven’t tried the recipes yet but based on the ones from her blog I’ve tried I’m sure they’ll be great. They all also seem incredibly doable and don’t call for any exotic ingredients, which I appreciate. I think I bookmarked over half of them to try... chocolate chia pudding I am coming for YOU.

The only thing some people should be aware of is I wouldn’t consider this a weight neutral book. There is discussion of body weight and weight loss in this book. I felt it was done very respectfully so that no matter what your goals are, there’s stuff here for you. Lyndi also makes it clear that while improving your relationship with food can help with weight loss, it’s much better to focus on other health indicators (mental health, blood pressure, cholesterol) than numbers on a scale. I only mention this because I’ve seen some other reviews complain that this book isn’t weight neutral enough.

Overall, as a registered dietitian and regular human being trying to navigate our weight/appearance-obsessed world, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to get off the diet train, improve their relationship with food, and take control of their health.

[Lysh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a breath of fresh air. I really connected with Cohen's "F* diet culture" approach and her no nonsense suggestions for actually eating what will fuel your body, but also living with balance and positive mental health.



Cohen takes you through her journey and feels like the friend you always wanted by your side to give you real advice. She illuminates the social issues surrounding fitness, wellbeing, and "health". She breaks down the issues with diets and rules. She breaks down what the body needs and why it needs it. She breaks down why quick fixes don't work and how they are actually damaging our bodies and minds. She tells us everything we already know, but we have never wanted to actually admit to ourselves. She tells us the truth as it is and gives us back the power we deserve, not through shaming us, but by being honest and open.



Section-by-section, Cohen builds up the argument for why we deserve to love ourselves and the bodies we are in at every stage of our journey. She gives us tips for how to meet its needs as we feel them overcome us. She gives us facts about the nutritional values of foods and why our body yearns for them. But she says that at the end of the day, some chocolate or cake when you feel you need it is ok. If you allow yourself to listen to your body, you will be more likely to have high sugar foods and not as nutritionally dense foods less often because you won'te feel the urge to grab them when the opportunity arises. You don't need to cram it all in one sitting, because it will always be available to you. There are no rules. And anything with rules is a diet in disguise. And diets aren't healthy.



Definitely recommend this book for anyone wishing to learn more about intuitive eating and move away from diet culture.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in a $10 bin and found it an enjoyable read! Unlike many nutrition/healthy food books, this one has a lot of text - 150 pages of it. While most of it is basic, sensible nutrition advice I did find a few interesting tidbits. Such as the 'don't cook olive oil at too high because of the smoke point' fear can be averted pretty well when using extra virgin olive oil - so no need to stress there.

Lyndi's argument is that the key to losing weight and keeping it off is to stop dieting. That means ALL diets - low carb, 5:2, sugar free, gluten free - it's all just a diet. She argues for 'intuitive eating' where you place your hunger on a scale and if you are on a 3-4 i.e. hungry to peckish then you eat. Then when you're above a 7/10 scale - feeling full, you stop. Ideally if you are at a 5, i.e. neither hungry or full, you don't eat. Sounds simple, but can be harder to put into practice at times - especially for me being the type who tends to eat when I'm not actually hungry.

There was one 'a-ha!' moment with body image that stood out to me. Lyndi is very open about her own struggles with body image and disordered eating, until she realised that no matter how much weight she lost or gained 'it was never enough.' For me, I've always been an apple shape - so my mass is held around my stomach and I've never managed a flat stomach or abs. But I realised even at my lowest weight - which was 47kg as a teenager (not due to dieting, just adolescence) I STILL hated my stomach, still felt it was too big - and even if I lost 10kgs and got down to that weight again, which I wouldn't want to anyway - I would still feel that way about that body part. Acceptance is really the only solution.

There's also a bunch of recipes - and I have enjoyed the simple, easy to follow meals and some healthier versions of my favourite comfort foods - tacos, pad thai and bolognese.

There's no magic diet bullet sold in here - which is probably why this book is not going to be a best seller anytime soon, it's just very sensible nutrition advice with a good message.

[Mad]

About 1/2 self-help/intuitive eating tips and 1/2 recipes. The recipes look pretty tasty and most of the advice seems both doable and helpful, good read for the new year!

[Samara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyndi's approach is such a breath of fresh air. This is by far one of the best health/lifestyle/(non)diet books that i have come across. Full of light-bulb moments back by scientific advice and tied together with Lyndi's no-nonsense advice.
I highly recommend this book for your mother or daughter or anyone who has struggled with yo-yo dieting and finding their healthiest weight.
Not to mention, the recipes are deliciously simple and family friendly!

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last stop for health/wellness guidance and inspiration. Lyndi's advice is spot on and I'm very optimistic that following her approach I will put dieting permanently behind me.

[Kendall Concini · Rating 3 out of 5]

#readingchallenge2024 (my book with lowercase letters spine)

I have been reading through a variety of books focused on ED support-ranging from memoirs, non-fiction scientific approaches, non-fiction therapeutic approaches, self-help journal steps, and more- all focused on trying to create a healthier relationship with body image, food, and release from societal fixations; I find a lot of the overall information to be similar, just packaged differently (mentalities, control, releases, advice, steps, learning, balancing, etc)

a lot of this book was the general straight-talking, heard it before friendly advice, but there were some big takeaways-

she had a bluntness reassuring progress & effort- her relaying her initial experience of growth, realizing 'sometimes things will just never be enough'-with her aha moments bluntly saying whether she lost, gained, hit goal weight, etc it was never enough so she tried to just find something acceptable was reassuring- it felt relatable & gave a perspective to sit & think about-

paired with her analogy, imagine learning to speak Spanish, you can't do that in a day- so how can you change your way of thinking about food & body in a day? it was a good message to be optimistic about approaches-

I was dismayed the last 25% of the book was merely recipes- I felt just when I was engaging with the advice, it was over-

[Loren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It is so refreshing to read commonsense nutrition advice and to see so many myths dispelled. Lyndi speaks my language! Nearly everything in this book resonated powerfully with me.

The information is presented in a simple and interesting manner, and the recipes look amazing. I can't wait to try them, especially as the ingredients are generally staples of my pantry.

[Annelieseh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most amazing, insightful, well written and accessible cookbooks on the market! Lindy opens up about her previous struggles, those that so many can relate to, and gives great advice that most people can I corporate into their everyday life. Recipes are simple, easy and use ingredients that most people would already have in their kitchens. Great job Lindy.

[Katrina Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really connected with this book. In my mid forties and tired of worrying about my weight and self worth, this book gives an alternative and practical perspective on creating a healthy relationship with food, exercise and your mental health. I could relate to so much of what Lyndi had been through. Thanks Lyndi just what I needed in my life.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this for the recipes which is what my rating is based on. They are pretty basic without obscure ingredients. The overnight oats recipe was a keeper (I have yet to try others).
I only scanned the first portion of the book where Lyndi shares her experiences, case studies and tips for others so I can't speak to that.

[Phoenix Boyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Packed full of information and it was really easy to follow. I feel like this book would be great for people who are self-motivated, otherwise it's probably best to have someone to keep you accountable (like a nutritionist, dietitian, psychologist or even a friend/family member).

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up second hand thinking it was mostly nutritional recipes and was planning on giving to someone else. When I got home I started having a quick look through and realised that around 2/3rds of the book is about getting off any form of diet, even if you don't think you are on a diet in particular - you probably are!! (eg: cutting out sugar, low carb, avoiding alcohol, not eating or limiting any type of foods, stocking up so called "superfoods", quitting dairy, not eating meat, basically anything you are restricting yourself of unless for a medical or ethical/social reason). It is not rocket science and she talks about eating in a way that we all know is common sense AND sustainable, but she gives you some really good tools (and case-studies) to help with any small or large issues you have around food. Bad foods or bad eating days do not exist. Basically nothing is off the menu, rather "everyday foods and sometime foods" replace "bad" and "good" foods. Restricting yourself from any food, is most likely going to result in either obsessing about it or binging or missing out on a piece of birthday cake, a desert when you are out, a glass of wine, or whatever it is you give up. I realised that even though I think I eat really well, there were so many things in her book that I could associate with in relation to food issues (at some stage in my life). She has great advice on not worrying about or setting a weight goal, in fact get rid of the scales altogether (rightly pointing out that being healthy is not about a number on the scales or a dress size). Focus instead on what you are eating, exercising and loving your body and mind. Also to not get hung up on eating sometime foods or berate yourself or feel guilty, if you over indulge in these. Instead of counting calories or carbs or collecting diet books or whatever you might do, she teaches you how to collect "good habits". This includes food choices, cooking, prep-work to make easy meals, exercising, self-care etc. She also says that the process is like learning a new language, which you would not become fluent in overnight. She took 4-5 years for her body to find it's own set weight and to learn self care and self love. As women we often either obsess about this stuff or we absolutely don't discuss with anyone. Lyndi's honesty and refreshing approach gave me a whole new outlook on not only eating but acceptance. When nothing is "off the table" you actually find you don't want a lot of the foods you thought you craved. She shares some of her very easy and yummy recipes and meal tips in the last 1/3rd of the book. I wish I had this book years or even decades ago. Even as a parent, when you realise the "food rules" we got from our parents and pass on to our own children. This is a book I will definitely read again and again (needless to say I did not pass this book on) and it is has pride of place on my recipe book shelf. Thank you Lyndi and I am a F@#* the Diets convert.

[Jennie Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came with a fresh look at 'diets' and wholistic health - for someone who has battled with weight and body image for over 50 years it inspired me to 'try again' - with a completely different approach - a non-diet. Some reasonably good recipes at the end with mostly basic ingredients.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great resource!

[Margery Bayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I knew for sure this was a different kind of nutrition book when it told me that salad dressing was good, actually.

[Melissa Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

This is just what you need if you are over dieting and want to live a healthy life. Loved it

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic resource on healthy eating without the obsession. Very practical advice given with understanding and compassion

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many truths and lessons revealed in reading this book. Definitely one I will be picking up again and again!